Development and Evaluation of an Educational Program on Genetics for Social and Behavioral Science Researchers

To promote transdisciplinary collaboration between social and behavioral science researchers and genetics researchers, the National Coalition for Health Professional Education in Genetics, with support from the NIH, has developed a web-based educational program in genetics for social and behavioral science researchers (SBS). The goals of this program are to increase genetics knowledge to improve genetics literacy and expand the research imagination of social scientists. This program addresses roadblocks that SBS face when trying to incorporate genetics into their research questions and provides tools to help them overcome those obstacles. The program content centers on the concept of variation and includes modules on gene-environment interaction, clinical issues, research issues, population issues, and research methods. These modules are tied into case studies on obesity, major depression, smoking, and breast cancer. While the program is self-directed and freely available, during its development numerous faculty members expressed interest in using it with their students. We developed a set of tools and a facilitator's guide to help faculty incorporate the course into their current curriculum. We were challenged to evaluate this program beyond knowledge and attitudes because of its goals of expanding research imagination and increasing collaboration. This presentation will discuss our approach to evaluation which incorporates strategies from continuing medical education and instructional design literature.